Posted Nov. 5, 2008 – Barack Obama made history, and the Democrats won big on Election Day.

To become the first Black president, Obama smashed through the color barrier and snared some 62.8 million votes to McCain's 55.6 million, according to tallies early Wednesday.

Obama won the states of the Northeast, the Midwest and the West Coast. Florida, the largest contested state, helped clinch his victory and will cast its 27 electoral votes for a Democrat for only the second time in the last eight presidential elections.

It was the night that the chants went from "Yes, we can" to "Yes, we did."

Obama crushed McCain among women voters, African-American voters, voters under 30, Hispanic voters, first-time voters and voters who make less than six figures.

In his historic victory speech, Obama told a crowd in Chicago of more than 125,000, "If there’s anyone out there who still doubts America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of democracy, tonight is your answer."

Obama thanked his supporters and told them that Tuesday's night victory belonged to them.

To win the presidency, a candidate must get 270 votes from the Electoral College, which are awarded for winning the popular vote in a state. Obama won in a landslide, taking more than 338 votes even as several battleground states were too close to call.

Obama also had a significant lead in the popular vote, leading McCain by more than 4 million votes with many more to count. It was a historic turnout as more than a 100 million Americans turned out.

Obama won in large part by inspiring people who had not been politically active to register and vote, many of them younger voters. Intense voter-registration and turnout efforts, which spread through the Internet and thoughout college campuses, appeared to pay off for Democrats.

Election 2008 put Democrats firmly in charge of the federal government.  The party widened its majority in the U.S. Senate as it captured 56 seats, to the Republicans' 40, but was still four seats short of the 60 needed in the 100-member chamber to clear Republican procedural hurdles.

"The people have spoken and they have spoken clearly," McCain told a disheartened throng of supporters in Phoenix. "This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight."

President George W. Bush late Tuesday telephoned his successor to congratulate him on his "awesome night." According to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, Bush promised to make this a smooth transition and invited Obama and his family "to visit the White House soon, at their convenience," Perino said.

In 77 days, President Bush will return to Texas, leaving Mr. Obama in charge of two wars, a $700 billion bailout fund, a $10 trillion debt, an annual deficit inching toward $1 trillion and a stock market that has wiped out trillions in retirement savings. That's not to mention Medicare and Social Security trust funds sliding toward insolvency, an increase in joblessness and a faltering U.S. image abroad.